Scheduling and cancellation of classes are at the discretion of  SSPA.
We offer classes with a wide variety of dance styles from beginner to professional level, children through adults.

Creative Movement is a joyful way for children to build confidence and to increase body awareness. Students develop motor skills and build self-control. Furthermore, Creative Movement introduces musicality and rhythm and stimulates imagination.
Enrollment is open for all children between ages three and five with or without prior experience.
 

Ballet classes are offered through age-appropriate training in classical ballet Vaganova style. (Russian School) From Level 1 on all students learn the correct French terminology to understand and execute verbal instructions.

Pre-Pointe and Pointe classes 
are offered only for the advanced ballet dancer in combination with regular ballet class to complete the classical achievement.

Ballet Level 1(age 5 & 6) builds on skills taught in Creative Movement but experience in any form of dance is not required at this level.
 
Ballet Level 2 (age 6 & 7) continues with the basics of ballet at the barre and in the center.

Ballet Level 3 (age 7 & 8) introduces the student to the traditional ballet technique class, including barre, center, stretching and European folk dances. 

Ballet Level 4 (age 8 & 9) continues with the curriculum of Vaganova's basic principles of classical ballet with barre, floor, and center exercises, and widens the repertoire of folk dances. 

Ballet Level 5 (age 9 - 13) continues to build up a strong technical foundation, over-all body strength, and focuses on placement, alignment, and turnout. In addition, the student is introduced to character dance, anatomy, and history of dance. The serious ballet student with the goal of dancing on pointe is required to take the Tuesday class and Pre-Pointe on Saturday (Level 6).

Ballet Level 6 (age   11 -13) Besides continuing to work on the fluidity of the movements, balance and combinations with petit adagio and petit allegro, pointe work is now introduced. The student is required to take the Tuesday and the Saturday class. Character dance, anatomy, and history of dance continues to be a part of the curriculum. 

Ballet Level 7/Pre-Professional (advanced students only, by invitation or audition) Students attend ballet classes up to five times per week. (Classes include Level 6 and adult ballet). This level challenges the student with more complex combinations at the barre and in the center. Petit and grand adagio, petit and grand allegro, pirouettes, leaps, jumps and pointe work are essential parts of this level. An occasional turns & leaps class as well as pas de deux (if available) will be added.

Ballet I (age 8 - 12) and Ballet II (age13 - 18) are classes for the inexperienced student to get familiar with the basics of ballet to catch up to their own age level.

Jazz/Lyrical
Katherine Dunham is considered the grandmother of jazz dance technique. She was the inspiration for modern jazz dance legends Jack Cole, Matt Mattox, Gus Giordano, and Bob Fosse.
Today you can find jazz dance in many different forms and venues. It is an essential element of musical theater choreography, you can see it in music videos, and on TV shows such as So You Think You Can Dance.
Technique is the foundation for all dance movements. Leaps and turns and the strong and sharp movements of jazz dance with the correct posture are the focus of jazz dance. A good background in ballet technique is helpful but not essential for the recreational dancer. One of the differences between ballet and jazz dance is the emphasis to the beat. Ballet gives the emphasis to the upbeat of music, whereas jazz emphasizes the downbeat. Jazz dance, like any other dance form, requires moderate stretching in order to warm up the muscles and help prevent injuries.

Tap
Tap dance was developed in the United States during the nineteenth century. After it was almost fogotten for a few decades, it experienced a strong come back approximately three decades ago.
Tap dance has its name from the tapping sound it makes when the small metal plates on the dancer's shoes touch hard surface. An experienced rhythm tapper is not only considered a dancer but also a percussive musician. This in mind, the American composer Morton Gould composed his "Concerto for tap dancer and orchestra".

Modern/Contemporary
In the early 1900s two women in America, Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis, as well as Mary Wigman in Germany started a rebellion against the rigid constrains of Classical Ballet. They shed the costumes and shoes, and focused on creative self-expression rather than on technical virtuosity. Later, Doris Humphrey and Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Merce Cunningham, and Lester Horton developed their own styles and laid the foundation of the American Modern Dance.
Today, Contemporary Dance is the form which draws on modern dance as a source of inspiration. Choreographer Mia Michaels of So You Think You Can Dance fame showed us exciting examples for contemporary dance. Both styles, modern and contemporary include the dance principles of centering, alignment, gravity, contraction and release, balance and off-balance, tension and relaxation, as well as opposition and emotion. The dancer strenghten the body and increase flexibility.
 
Hip Hop
Hip Hop has a short history compared to other dance forms. Originated on the streets of New York and Los Angeles, hip hop found its way into the dance studios. The rhythmic dancing to hip hop and rap music is enjoying an ever growing popularity. The dancer doesn't need to have experience in dance technique. Nevertheless, to ensure the dancer stays injury free and to enjoy a progress in dancing, the class starts with a warm up and continues with new steps and combinations in progressions before working on a routine.

Musical Theater
In Musical Theater the students learn the choreography of well-known Broadway and film musicals. Additionally, they learn about the history and background of musicals and how to present themselves in auditions.